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"I sincerely apologize if you felt as if I was trying to hunt you down. You just reminded me of someone. Can we put this past us? My name is Cynthia, Cynthia Viridian. A Berzerker and Cleric from the Jadewing Plains of Rukon." The blonde half-Velox said, defeated, before introducing herself. Feli smirked. Mind games like this...she enjoyed it.

"Feli. I'm a Thief from around here...raised in Janzek Peninsula." She replied with another of her carefully-rehearsed answers. She was still suspicious of Cynthia, but she couldn't act like something was up, otherwise her cover would be blown. Thankfully for her, she didn't have to worry as much because of an unexpected savior,who took the form of a monkey-like Lightning Gaian.

"WOW! You are one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! And you have such nice-" He said, before Cynthia hit him with a hammer. Feli couldn't help but flirt with him and humor him, however.

"You mean these?" Feli said as she gestured to her large breasts, giving them a small squeeze, before allowing her hand to travel to her thighs.

"Or these? Or even...this? You have good taste, m'boy." She smirked, touching her face a bit before giving him a naughty look. Unlucky and not exactly as intelligent as she thought she was, one thing Feli was sure of was her beauty. Said beauty got her out of a few sticky situations after all when her luck failed her after all.

Suddenly, a tall half-Velox man dressed in brown strode in, making Feli stop what she was doing. The man strode to the middle of the room and stopped.

"Alright troops! I am your commander, Captain Richter Redheart, but you can and will refer to me as Captain! Now, form a line right here and stand at attention, then state your name and what skills you add to this team!" His booming voice rang across the room, prompting Feli to follow the others in forming a line, ending up behind a guy who just arrived and carried with him a crossbow. One by one, they started introducing themselves. First up was the tall Earth Gaian, who turned out to be a mechanist and whose name was Harvey.

"Alright, who's next?"

"Next" was the guy who just arrived. A Ranger named Kristoph who seemed rather shy and jittery. Feli laughed to herself. Maybe she could knock that out of him with a few of her...ways? Once he was done, she stepped forward.

"Name's Felicity Lucas, Captain. Thief extraordinaire. Need someone to hide in the shadows? An ambush? Attack quickly? I'm your girl." She introduced, throwing him a mock salute as she grinned before walking away. This was definitely going to be interesting to watch and hear.

Last edited by *Jean Grey*; 15th November 2012 at 3:28 AM.

~ Signature under Construction ~

| Lucian and Grimsley are mine. Touch and I will cut you. | That also applies to Houndoom. | Clock: Equal-To-Heaven |

As the caravan traveled through the Lancer Grasslands, heading for Corusco, I kept my eyes focus on everything around me, perceiving anything that could be out of place. A raiding party wouldn't attack from the open. If I was running a bandit operation, I knew that's what I would do. And any successful bandit wouldn't be stupid about how they handled things.

Protecting civilians was never my favorite kind of work. I would have preferred to put weapons in their hands just so it would take the enemy a few seconds to size them up and realize they really weren't combatants rather than to make it blatantly obvious. It would, however, appear to be extremely obvious to raiders that this was a rag-tag band of defenders that were without a doubt unorganized and not coordinated.

I was coordinated, however. If there was anything I learned, it was not to rely on others, and to never let your life hang on a decision and responsibility they'd have to make. Because if they screwed up, it was you that would take the fall, and best case scenario, all they'd have to deal with was regret. Worst case, they'd just be glad they weren't you and you'd be forgotten with the rest of the dead.

The caravan driver had been used a well-known path. It was understandable because there was no way wagons like these would be able to withstand going anywhere off the path. That did make the convoy vulnerable. I could tell, the amount of foot traffic on this road was frequent. Very little diverged from the path, mainly because around here, there was next to nothing for landmarks. Grass patches, jagged stones, shrubs, and a few rolling hills were all that surrounded us. If one got lost out there, they'd need particularly strong navigational skills to get back to where they wanted. And while the Andreso Mountains were in the distance, it was a large mountain range to head toward. I was sure bandits truly loved it when someone lost wandered into their territory.

The Sacred Gem was on the back of my mind at the moment, though I did think about it. If it was anything like the red gem I used for my revolver, then I was sure it had its uses. Not to mention that if it in fact was powerful, Enigma would have to pay to compensate for it, if they were even capable of it. The arrangement contract was never formal. It never was with people like them. And if they even tried to pursue me, they'd have to travel to the ends of the world to do it. They'd give up if they knew what was good for them.

"Worried about something?" One of the human illusionists asked me. "You've been looking ahead at the trail barely blinking once. I doubt the bandits are anywhere even near us."

"That's jus' what they want ya to think," I told him, not even turning to face him. "Ya'll don't think they know 'bout this path? If we're lucky, they'll realize they're outnumbered with this one an' they'll jus' wish they had brought along more men."

There were twenty defenders after all. But if they had an ambush somewhere, we could scratch at least five from that, including four of the others for being inexperienced. If the raiding party was at least ten strong, they'd have a good chance. A convoy like this was probably worth the risk. I wasn't entirely sure of the contents of the shipment, but I could guess it would fare for quite a decent catch.

Yuri was starting to look board of the two, and he was. All of these people were boring, as the two women ignored him and just bashed on the Perverted Monkey. He just sat down and listened outside for anything, and bolted up when a knight strolled in like he was the boss. Yuri shot him a nasty look before he spoke, sensing he was thinking he was a kid.

"Alright troops! I am your commander, Captain Richter Redheart, but you can and will refer to me as Captain!" Richter pointed at the ground in front of him. "Now, form a line right here and stand at attention, then state your name and what skills you add to this team!" The mand called Richard introduced himself. The horse guy, who's name was Harvey, introduced himself, then a shy, jittery young man talked, and then the women who ignored him, well, the one that was more appealing. Her name was Feli.

"Listen, I'm only hear because of the Parliament wants me to be here, got that? You say you're a captain, but do you really have the gut's to deal with these children? Well, I'm Yuri,Yuri Lazuli and don't you forget it. And if you do know me, I salute you good sir, as these uncultured fiends are the only ones who don't seem to know me." Yuri basically ordered to the Captain while taking a sip of his drink. He decided to put on his public demeanor, as it's the only one that had people listen to him.

"Also, I'm a Time Mage. So make a wrong step, and you're dust." Yuri added before heading to the chair he was originally sitting in, and slept. He was getting tired of these annoying people, and he needed to rest his energy anyways. He was awake a little bit to long for his liking the last few days, so he just finished his drink and went off to dreamland.

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again Fizzy Bubbles

"Feli. I'm a Thief from around here...raised in Janzek Peninsula," said Felicity after Cynthia made her apology. After their introductions they were interrupted by the drinking boy who offered them a drink. Cynthia was readying a reply, but then was interrupted once more by the monkey. He came up to her and seemed to be smitten. "Now you must be a wild one! From your looks you can best me, eh?" Cynthia was surprised, no one ever complimented her like that. "Wow... you really-?" Before she even finished he was gone, he went to Felicity, gawking at her. "WOW! You are one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! And you have such nice-" No! In one quick motion she grabbed her hammer and swung in on his head, sending him crying. "I've been itching to use it since I came."

After she dealt with that pervert there was another on the rise. "You mean these?" Feli said as she gestured to her large breasts, giving them a small squeeze, before allowing her hand to travel to her thighs."Or these? Or even...this? You have good taste, m'boy." She smirked, touching her face a bit before giving him a naughty look. The nerve of this woman! Cynthia had the urge to whack her too, but couldn't risk messing up whatever they have. Such a hussy, no respect... Cynthia rolled her eyes and just scoffed. Then the head honcho finally arrived to get things in order. He was a Knight, Cynthia immediatly focused on him, she already had a great respect for noble people. "Alright troops! I am your commander, Captain Richter Redheart, but you can and will refer to me as Captain!" Richter pointed at the ground in front of him. "Now, form a line right here and stand at attention, then state your name and what skills you add to this team!"

First up was the horse Gaian. "I'm Harvey Kingrock, and I am the best damn mechanist on this side of Aradis! I am also have a great amount of strength to overwhelm opponents...uh, Sir!" Cynthia took a look at him, he couldn't be lying. "Not "Sir", "Captain". But Sir shall do as well, I guess. Alright, who's next? Next was a newcomer. “…Um, is this the p-place where we… um… sign up for the mission? If so… My name is K-Kristoph Cosland… Captain. Um… I’m I guess what you would call a ranger. I, uh… use a crossbow and attack enemies from above… Usually in trees. Sir…” He didn't make a big impact on Cynthia, he was too shy. After him was Feli. Oh wow, wonder if she'll flaunt herself again. "Name's Felicity Lucas, Captain. Thief extraordinaire. Need someone to hide in the shadows? An ambush? Attack quickly? I'm your girl."Cynthia rolled her eyes again, she can't stand her, but as she walked back she put on a fake smile and waved. After her was the drinking boy, she remembered his name, Yuri Lazuli, the one she's never heard. He introduced himself and even taunted the captain. He even claimed he was a Time Mage and would turn someone into dust if they made the wrong step. Unbelievable, he can't be serious. Cynthia was annoyed by some of these people already. She saw no one else stepping up yet and decided to go herself. She fixed her posture, put her arms at her sides, and spoke.

"My name is Cynthia Viridian, Captain. I am a Berzerker and a Cleric. I promise to defend my comrades with brute strength and to prevent their deaths with my healing abilities." She gave a bow and left.
---------------------------------------Enma SarutobiLightning Gaian MonkMercenary Guild

After being whacked on the head, Enma was left in a daze. As he rubbed his head to ease the pain he realized that the woman he was mesmerized by began to seduce him. Wow! He would have lost his mind, but he calmed himself. He didn't want to be disrespectful. To break the little chaos there was, was the captain. He commanded everyone to line up and to introduce themselves and their skills. First was the big horse Gaian, Harvey, a mechanist. Then a shy Ranger, Kristoph. Then went Felicity, a Thief. Wow. He was under a spell with her. When he came to, Yuri Lazuli made his intro and he was a Time Mage. Cynthia was next, the brute whacker, and she was a Berzerker and Cleric. Enma didn't hold it against her, and actually respected her for it. He was a little out of hand. He was next, it was going to be his third intro. He already knows what to say and stepped up.

"Hello, Captain, I am Enma Sarutobi, but please call me by my surname, or call me Saru. I am a Monk, and I am very skilled at incorporating magic with my combat skills. It is my pleasure to serve you on this mission." He clapped his hands together and gave a bow. He walked off and waited to discover the identities of the rest of these people.

Right after the Earth Gaian was a frightened looking kid, who Richter could've sworn had rushed into the guild just before he had entered himself.

“…Um, is this the p-place where we… um… sign up for the mission? If so… My name is K-Kristoph Cosland… Captain. Um… I’m I guess what you would call a ranger. I, uh… use a crossbow and attack enemies from above… Usually in trees. Sir…”

Although his attitude said otherwise, the boy seemed capable based on what he said. "Yes, this is where you sign up. And you should loosen up; you look like you might fall to the ground and enter the fetal position any second now. Next?"

The next one was an attractive woman who to Richter appeared to be sly and used to using her charm to her advantage, which to Richter meant he'd need to keep an eye on her.

"Name's Felicity Lucas, Captain. Thief extraordinaire. Need someone to hide in the shadows? An ambush? Attack quickly? I'm your girl." She introduced, throwing him a mock salute as she grinned before walking away. Richter narrowed his eyes as she moved away. He HATED theives. To announce her profession to a knight meant she was either highly incompetant or she was intentionally trying to bother him. Richter assumed the former. He hoped her skills wouldn't actually be needed for this mission, but he wasn't about to get rid of a potentially valuable asset just yet.

"Alright, next?" After her was the only one who appeared to be quite literally a child in evey regard.

"Listen, I'm only hear because of the Parliament wants me to be here, got that? You say you're a captain, but do you really have the gut's to deal with these children? Well, I'm Yuri, Yuri Lazuli and don't you forget it. And if you do know me, I salute you good sir, as these uncultured fiends are the only ones who don't seem to know me." Yuri basically ordered to the Captain while taking a sip of his drink. "Also, I'm a Time Mage. So make a wrong step, and you're dust." Yuri added before heading to the chair he was originally sitting in, and slept.

Well that explained the boy. Richter had heard of Yuri Lazuli before; he knew he was an actor, as well as somewhere over a hundred and fifty years old, despite only looking to be about twelve. His mother actually was quite the fan of his work; for a moment Richter considered getting a signed autograph for his mother, but decided that could be saved for after their mission was over. From what he had heard of him, Yuri could be a bit...eccentric, but it wasn't anything Richter couldn't handle. What he wondered now though was why the Parliment had asked him to go on this mission, but he didn't want to disturb him while he was sleeping. Richter figured he could just ask him when he woke up, anyway.

"Ok, next." After Yuri was a strong looking woman; one of the few people here who actually looked combat ready, and likely the only one besides himself with any military training, judging from her actually having correct posture when she stood at attention and her actually appearing to show respect for him.

"My name is Cynthia Viridian, Captain. I am a Berzerker and a Cleric. I promise to defend my comrades with brute strength and to prevent their deaths with my healing abilities," she said, then bowed and walked away.

"Glad to have you on board Cynthia," Richter said with a surprinsingly genuine voice. He really was relieved knowing that he wasn't the only one with actual combat training in his unit. "Who's next?"

Next up was a Lightning Gaian who looked like a monkey, and judging from his choice of clothing was from Kamax.

"Hello, Captain, I am Enma Sarutobi, but please call me by my surname, or call me Saru. I am a Monk, and I am very skilled at incorporating magic with my combat skills. It is my pleasure to serve you on this mission." The monk then clapped his hands together and bowed, before walking off. Richter nodded with approval, although he wasn't a warrior in the traditional sense (or at least how Richter normally sees it), he appeared to be honorable and respectful; two traits that Richter liked seeing in a person.

"There's still some people who haven't talked yet. Who is next?"

(OoC: People who need to post: Mon1010, Flame Mistress, SoulMuse, and deltakirumiru4)

Well. Last time Halt was going to help these...things. Wait...Halt leaned in towards the girl sitting on the chair towards the window. Feathers....Half breed! Mongrel! Flithy useless mongrel! Halt started back, and let out a hiss similar to that of crocidiles. "Filthy half breed" He growled. He walked away briskly, and looked very annoyed. Nothing personal happened to him as a child or at any point in his life dealing with mongrels, he just thought they were unhealthy and...well, disgusting. He shook his thoughts clear, and focused back on the group as a whole. Only a few of them were pure. Great. Maybe the leader would be pure...

"Alright troops! I am your commander, Captain Richter Redheart, but you can and will refer to me as Captain!" Richter pointed at the ground in front of him. "Now, form a line right here and stand at attention, then state your name and what skills you add to this team!" Halt took one look at the captain to know that this mission wouldn't that fun. A half Velox mongrel. He looked respectable, but then again, Halt wasn't so sure about the leaders of this place either. He made a mental note to be careful about his words around him. He stood in line, after the large Earth Gaian, who turned out to be a mechanist. Interesting. Halt didn't listen to the other creatures' introductions as they seemed to be...well, mongrels was one word for them. The monkey was a monk though...a sparing partner would get Halt back in shape. He notcied that after those, no one stepped forward. He had to do this at some point.

"Name's Halt Erzet, a fire elementalist monk." Halt stated bluntly to the captain. He didn't bother to bring back his hood to show his face, though he guessed that the captain would want him too. "I'm a merc for hire, and a damn good arsonist. Need a body disposed off? I do in seconds, nothing but ash left of the house and corpse. Cap." Halt didn't bother adressing the captain by his full title. He was a mongrel, and while Halt couldn't spit on his shiny *** metal shoes, well, he could at least peeve him off a little.

Soon after arriving, Lirea was approached by a monkey like lightning gaian. "My, my! What beautiful ears you have!" A statement which made Lirea blush. Most of her life, her fish ears had gotten insults from others. She was never bothered by the insults, it was nice that some finally took notice of what she thought were her best features.

Before she had a chance to say anything, the Gaian lost focus, and went to hit on another girl. Lirea facepalmed. Great, one of these guys. Before she could dish out some Icy pain to teach the monkey a lesson, a blond lady quite literally knocked some sense into him, with a hammer. To which, grinned. "Lirea is impressed." she said with a chuckle.

Then, she saw a slimy, scaly Fire Gaian walk into the guild, and her expression suddenly changed to a more serious one. While she had never seen a Fire Gaian in person, her mother's diaries had spoken of bad experiences with them, and it had many unkind things to say about the species. Fire is such a stupid element. All it does is burn and destroy. What good is that? At least water has other uses besides destruction.

Finally, a Half-Velox man showed up, apparently, the leader of this whole operation, showed up. He asked everyone to stand in line, and state their name and skills.

"Lirea Marine. I'm one of the best Water Elementalists in Aradine." She said proudly while twirling her trident. "If you need someone who can control the raging sea, or if you want an enemy turned into an iceberg, talk to Lirea, she'll make things happen." She finished her boasting with a wink. "Now, Lirea would very much like to be going!"
---

Leonardo "Leo" Silverstone
Human Monk/Illusionist
Same place as Lirea

"Oh wow..." Leo said as he looked out the window at all the girl's carrying signs.

"I... can see why they would get on your nerves." Kareena said, mirroring Leo's thoughts. Then, she walked over to the window, raised her wand, and blew Wind at them. Blowing the girls away. Leo's eyes widened. Widened. Wind magic!

"Now, all we need is-" She was suddenly interupted by a monkey man who started to pinch the girl's cheeks. "How adorable! Such a small child on such a big quest. You must be quite strong huh?" He then went to flirt with another girl. Leo just stared awkwardly, not really knowing what to make of all this.

"-All we need is someone who can use Fire Elemental magic who can burn these up. And preferably burn up lover boy over there too."

Then a Lizard man walked up to Leo. "Um, yeah, I couldn't help but overhear." The man said in a raspy voice. "But, you need a Fire Elemental magic user?" He kicked a pile of signs with the talons on his foot. "What do you want me to burn? The girls, or the signs? Signs for free, the girl would cost 20 per corpse."

Leo smiled, and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Um... It's ok, I think we'll handle this ourselves. Thanks for offering though!" Leo said as politely as possible.

Then the captain showed up, and asked everyone to introduce themselves.

"Leonardo Silverstone!" Leo saluted. "But I prefer Leo. I'm a Monk/Illusionist." He preceded to demonstrate by making two illusionary clones of himself. Then, the three Leo's jump into the air, spun in midair, then did cartwheels in different directions. Eventually, the two Illusions faded away. "I'm still only in-training, but I think I'm pretty good!"

Kareena shook herself back to real life, and looked around her. An important-looking official was standing there, and from the way the other people were introducing themselves to him, it was quite obvious that the man was the leader of the expedition.*

Oh, well, that's nice, Kareena thought, and turned her attention back to her book, when--

Wait. Leader. Here. Introductions. Oh flip.

Kareena immediately bolted out of her seat and practically flew towards the leader. "Oh, um, hello, sir, captain, uh, sir," she said, and made a movement that was somewhere in the middle of curtsying and bowing. "My name is, um, Kareena Aslantin, and my father is Baron Aslantin, of Arcadic... he was the one who recommended me to the officials. I'm... I'm an Elementalist, and, uh, and a bit of a Cleric, too, but, um, I'm not very good at it yet... but I promise promise that I will get better at it soon! I'm... I'm better than I look!"*

Kareena quickly fled rhe scene and returned to her couch as soon as she finished her introduction (if you could even call it that), filled with embarrassment. What a wonderful display of herself she'd made to the leader. Wonderful.*

I took our relatively safe arrival in Corusco as a sign that the caravan was more protected that usual. Plainstrider Company, it seemed, had been a well-funded operation. Every bandit gang was different, but it seemed this one didn't want to pick a fight with a caravan that could defend itself. And as we pulled into the mining city, covered in a hazy, smoky cloud, I figured they must have been one of these bandit gangs that only feels confident to prey on the weak and the unprotected.

Whatever it was, I accepted my payment, and made my way through town. Most of it was non-descript, but it was easy to see this place depended on its ores and precious stones. But it was the Scared Gem that interested me the most. I highly doubted that something of that nature was simply forgotten about.

The scene was busy. The buildings around here were mostly makeshift, easily constructed wooden shacks and cabins. A quick boomtown is what it seemed like. If and when the digging was no longer worth the money or time, I imagined this place would be another ghost town. In the meantime, the place had become a mess of gambling halls, bars, brothels, and the like. A place where it was easy to play with one's evil inside.

Still, asking for questions and directions wasn't my thing. It made one look weak, confused, and flagged them to be taken advantage of or worse, mugged. The Scared Gem wasn't old news, but the more popular it was, the more people I would have to deal with when it came to trying to acquire it.

Meanwhile, there was still no telling what it actually did. I didn't care, either way. If it was useless, there were still those that would pay good money for it, for whatever reason. But if it was worth something in itself, well, I could hold onto it for a little longer. Though I could see where holding onto this thing would mean trouble.

I figured my chances of being robbed in daylight were unlikely, but seeing as how the alley I used wasn't traveled often, these chumps were taking advantage of it. Meanwhile, I was able to discern there were three thugs behind me.

"Somethin' I can help you boys with?" I asked, turning around, even though I had no intention of assisting these punks even if they were rolling on the ground in flames.

I got a good look at these maggots. Two were humans, both mangy freaks that had bad hygiene, scars, and the thug on the right was wearing an eye patch. Their dirty brown hair was a wreck and their clothing was dirty. As for the third thug, he was a lizard Gaian, but his attire was no better than these other two goons.

"Leave your money and your goods right here, and I'll let you walk away," The first human thug ordered. "Or, we get it all after tearing you apart. What'll it be?"

"I like the third choice," I told him, quickly pulling out my revolver and shooting the bastard's stomach. "The one where I win instead."

The bullet was a through and through, tearing out the thug's back, immediately bringing him down to his knees. The second thug, the other human, charged at me with his dagger, thinking he was quicker than my draw. From seven feet away, he might have pulled it off with a rookie gunslinger, but not with me. I fired the revolver at his forehead, and suddenly the enchanted bullet ignited and lit his head on fire. He ran toward me screaming until I kicked him in the chest with my boot.

The lizard Gaian tried to avenge his fallen comrades with his sword. He swung at me a few seconds after I kicked his friend to the ground, only I quickly ducked and his swipe sliced at nothing but air. I then kicked him in the groin, and he was able to withstand the pain better than I thought. He struck me in the face with his fist, but then I slammed my knee into his stomach, hitting the wind out of him. He bent over, and then I struck him again in the face with an uppercut. He stumbled back, but before he was able to recover, I kicked him to the ground, and while he was down, I fired three shots into his head, never giving the chump the chance to get back up.

"D...damn you..." The wounded thug growled, trying to hold in the blood.

"Ain't that a shame," I told him. "I need to know where a certain gem has run off to. Somethin' called the Sacred Gem. I figure a maggot who knows somethin' 'bout robbin' people would know."

He then spat in my face. I figured that was nothing new.

"Think I'd ever tell you?" He asked, snarling.

I then took the revolver, pointed it at his stomach, and fired again.

"AARRRRGGHHHH!!" He screamed, suddenly feeling a whole new explosion of pain.

"We'll try this again," I told him, pressing the gun against his forehead. "Scared Gem. Where the hell is it? The next one is takin' out your brain, so unless ya'll want to be even dumber than ya are now, ya'll tell me at least somethin'."

"It's... goddammit, I don't know," He told me. "Them geologists came from Lucana, but they don't have it anymore. I swear to god, that's what I know."

"It ain't here!?" I shouted at him, wanting an answer now.

"It... dammit, it could be, I don't know," He replied. "All I know is that it wasn't found here. Trust me, this place would have been jumping if it was."

Something did seem unusual that we were attacked by the bandits Plainstrider Company was almost certain we would be attacked by.

"Were they ambushed by bandits?" I asked him, figuring he'd at least know that. "They've been usually quiet in the plains."

"Hell if I know," He spat.

I shoved him aside. He was useless at this point. If the bandits had come across a more than valuable treasure, chances are they wouldn't waste men and time on the Plainstrider Caravan. They'd be either using to leverage power or they'd use it for money so they could get plastered from alcohol. Either way, someone would know about it being used in one way or another.

(OOC: Sorry about the short post. Wrote this in a hurry, and my muse is kinda flat right now.)

Ian Blackwood
Psyclo, Necromancer/Psychic
Mercenary Guild.

I finally found the right room, but had barely stepped inside before some guy, Half-Velox by the looks of him, stepped up, announcing he was in charge, and wanting to know names and skill sets. I stayed back, mentally comparing this guy to my old teacher and friend, who has taught me what little I knew of Necromancy.

As the others stepped up, I also made the comparison of the strange captain fellow to the Guard Captain back home. The two had a similar bearing, and also annoyed me at first sight. Okay, I thought this captain fellow was simply a pretentious annoying military nutcase, and I thought the guard captain simply has a couple of sticks stuck up his butt…but the point still stood in my head. I didn’t really pay attention to the others since if push really came to shove, and I had to know about their powers…well I could always summon a spirit to find out for me…or something.

Pushing line of thought out of the way, I noticed that everyone else had finished introducing themselves. With a sigh I stepped forwards, mentally deciding that these people really didn’t know about me, after all I was only here to save my own skin, not theirs.

“Ian Blackwood, Psychic.” I drawled, standing halfway at attention. These people didn’t need to know anything else about me.

Take a moment to consider just how nothing nothing really is....If you understand this, then you just solved the universe.

The truth that each person...each soul...is a book. And when we lay our feelings out in the open...and we give them no name...and we give them no author....and we give them no description.....who will actually read them..........?"

(OoC: Just gotta say, about time we get started. Now that introductions are out of the way this go along alot quicker.)

Captain Richter Redheart
Half-Velox Knight
Mercenary Guild

After the Gaian monk was a dangerous looking Fire Gaian. He had most of himself covered with a robe, but Richter could notice that what little skin (or rather scales) were showing appeared to be somewhat burnt. Or perhaps, REALLY burnt, if he didn't orginally have black scales.

"Name's Halt Erzet, a fire elementalist monk." Halt stated bluntly to the captain. He didn't bother to bring back his hood to show his face, which made Richter wonder if he was possibly some sort of convict. "I'm a merc for hire, and a damn good arsonist. Need a body disposed off? I do in seconds, nothing but ash left of the house and corpse. Cap."

"Excellent, an arsonist. The one think I can think of that would be worse than a thief, barring maybe an assassin or serial killer," Richter thought to himself. Everything about Halt was extremely off-putting to him, so he made a mental note to keep an eye on him like Felicity.

Next from Halt was a Half-Gaian girl who was quite the contrast from the cold and heartless attitude of the Fire Gaian. She looked a bit peppy and was rather short, but Richter knew it was not what you looked like that mattered, it was what you could do. Still, Richter couldn't see her lasting as long as that huge Earth Gaian Harvey or that sinister looking Fire Gaian Halt, but he was perfectly fine with the idea of being proven wrong.

"Lirea Marine. I'm one of the best Water Elementalists in Aradine." She said proudly while twirling her trident. "If you need someone who can control the raging sea, or if you want an enemy turned into an iceberg, talk to Lirea, she'll make things happen." She finished her boasting with a wink. "Now, Lirea would very much like to be going!"

Richter nodded and said, "Richter is unsure why you are talking in the third person, but Richter guesses that it doesn't matter. We'll be leaving soon enough by the way, so don't worry about that. Alright, next?"

After her was a young Human boy. He seemed to be good natured, but once again Richter had to question whether or not he was capable.

"Leonardo Silverstone!" Leo saluted. "But I prefer Leo. I'm a Monk/Illusionist." He preceded to demonstrate by making two illusionary clones of himself. Then, the three Leo's jump into the air, spun in midair, then did cartwheels in different directions. Eventually, the two Illusions faded away. "I'm still only in-training, but I think I'm pretty good!"

"Oh joy, he's still only a student too." Still, the display with the clones was rather impressive, so he was willing to give the boy the benefit of the doubt.

After calling for the next person, a young Half-Gaian immediately bolted out of her seat and practically flew towards him. "Oh, um, hello, sir, captain, uh, sir," she said, and made a movement that was somewhere in the middle of curtsying and bowing. "My name is, um, Kareena Aslantin, and my father is Baron Aslantin, of Arcadic... he was the one who recommended me to the officials. I'm... I'm an Elementalist, and, uh, and a bit of a Cleric, too, but, um, I'm not very good at it yet... but I promise promise that I will get better at it soon! I'm... I'm better than I look!"

Richter sighed, and nodded, letting her know he was fine with her coming along. Not like he could do anything about it though; her father was a Baron, so he knew he'd be in trouble if he didn't take her along. At the same time though, he'd be in MORE trouble if she returned in a bodybag. Once again Richter made a mental note, reminding himself to keep a watchful eye on the girl and make sure she came back unharmed.

"Alright, one more person. Come on up." The last one was a Psyclo, whom stood out from the rest due to the fact that he was so tall.

“Ian Blackwood, Psychic.” He drawled, standing halfway at attention. He didn't sound too excited, as if he was being forced to come along. Honestly, Richter didn't expect anything less from the Psyclo. He knew that they were powerful Psychics though, so regardless of appearence or attitude he knew Ian could hold his own in a fight, so long as he didn't have to get up close to whatever they'd be fighting.

"Alright, that's everyone. Let's head out to the docks, our ship's waiting for us." Richter said, as he began to make his way to the door.

"Hey, wait!" Richter turned around to see that the Earth Gaian was speaking to him. "Aradine isn't a coastal town, how can there be a dock? Are we heading over to Eastport then?"

Richter shook his head. "Negitive, it's in Aradine. We're taking an airship to our destination." The Earth Gaian looked a little embarrassed not realizing that Richter was referring to an airship rather than a normal ship, so he just nodded to indicate that he understood what he meant.

After getting outside Richter noticed several girls were screaming and getting excited. After hearing the name "Yuri" a few times in the chaos Richter realized that they were fangirls. He knew the boy (or at least he looked like a boy) was well known, but he hadn't figured that he actually had fangirls.

Suddenly, Richter shouted at the top of his lungs to the crowd, "DISPERSE FROM THIS LOCATION IMMEDIATELY, OR I SHALL ORDER FOR YOUR ARREST AS A CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL ARADIS KNIGHT ORDER!!" The crowd immediately got out of the groups way and went off in all directions. Everyone in Aradine knew not to mess with a Knight of the Royal Order, especially one that's a Captain. Richter said to Yuri in a much calmer voice, "You're welcome," before continuing on to lead the others to the docks.

~~~

At the Airship Docks

After walking a few blocks, they arrived at the docks. Richter pointed to one of the ships harbored at the piers, which rather than being in the water were built like towers, with the end of the pier being about fifty feet in the air with a long staircase connecting it to the ground.

"That's our ship: The R.A.N. Skytreader. One of the finest airships in the Aradisian Navy. The Aradis Parliment hand picked this ship to be our vessel." The Skytreader was massive, at least for an airship. It was about the size of a colonial era warship, made of wood with gold colored patterns runnng along the front of the ship. The entire ship was held in the air by a large balloon, as well as six propellors: four attached to the sides, and two attached to the back.

"Come on, the Commander's waiting for us." Richter walked up the steps onto the pier and then climbed up a rope ladder onto the ship, then walked inside a door on the back of the ship.

(OoC: Feel free to do posts before the transition, but we're moving on now so I'd like to get us to our destination soon.)

I barely had a lead, but I had to pursue the little I did have. In fact, it was only a hunch. My guess was it was it wasn't in Corusco after all. The geologists were from Lucana, but that's really the only detail I knew. The people in Azmaraxe didn't know, and Corusco seemed to know even less. Meanwhile, the bandits of the Lancer Grasslands were mysteriously absent from a raid that should have happened. Bandits don't just drop off the planet. They were after a bigger catch, and if what I got out of this pathetic thug was right, they might have been after the Sacred Gem as well.

That could only mean one thing. The gem had to be somewhere in the Lucana Tundra. From what I could tell, the gem never left that frozen wasteland. There was only one issue, however. The Lucana Tundra was incredibly massive. One could spend months in there and never find what they were looking for.

It was frustrating this ride to Corusco had been useless, but at least I managed to get pointed in the right direction, or at least I was hoping this would be the result. Still, if I was to head into Lucana, I was going to need better equipment. What I had packed wasn't what I needed to go hiking through miles and miles of snow. That, and I was going to need to hire a tracker. As much as I liked relying on my own wits and skills, there were people in Azmaraxe that knew the Lucana Tundra better than I did. I couldn't afford to waste time trying to locate the Gem when obviously there were already plenty of people after it.

This time around, I purchased my own horse and headed toward Azmaraxe. The cost was only 700 gold for a rather old one I had no intention of keeping for long, but it was better than waiting around for a caravan to head toward Azmaraxe, and from what I saw, it would be another month before one left the mining city to head north toward there.

In the meantime, I sure hoped I was right about this hunch. Otherwise, I would have wasted money and time on this one.

Richter entered the cabin in the back of the inside of the ship. Inside was an elderly Human man who by all means looked like a salty old seadog. His ship captain's uniform was made complete by thick grey mutton chops on his face and an ivory smoking pipe in his mouth. He was reading a book, but put it down when he saw the captain enter.

"Yeh gather yer crew yet mate?" The old man asked, adjusting his pipe in his mouth as he spoke. Richter nodded and responded, "They're here, we can move out now." The man nodded and got out of his chair and followed Richter out onto the deck.

As they exited, Richter made sure to count everyone, so he knew if everyone was on board. "Alright soldiers. This is Commander Abraham Washington, and he'll be piloting the Skytreader to our destination." The commander immediately took a step forward and said, "Please, just call me Abe. Its simpler that way mates. Everything's been set up before you all got here, so we kin set sails at any time!"

As earlier, Harvey spoke up. "Uh, I thought it was Captains that ran ships." Richter sighed, while Abe responded. "Eh, you'd think that, wouldn't ya? Actually, it be a Commander who runs a ship most of the time. Cap'in is usually the second in command."

"And before you ask, I am NOT a naval captain, I am a captain in the Aradis Knight Order. So Commander Abraham does not have authority over me." Richter figured he should get that out of the way before someone asked about that too. As he finished his sentance, a hatch on the deck of the ship swung open, and a small child climbed out of it while saying, "Everything's loaded up s-" He suddenly stopped when he realized he was being watched. The boy was a small Lightning Gaian, who looked like a little white mouse. He couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve years of age.

"Ah, and this be me First Mate, Jack. He be a bit shy, but he's a good lad nonetheless." The little mouse boy continued to stare at the strangers on the boat, looking a little scared. Abe let out a hardy laugh. "You can go on 'bout your business Jack, they aren't going to bit yer head off." The boy nodded and closed the hatch he came out of, then walked over to the door at the back of the ship and entered it, without saying another word.

Richter looked back at his troops. "The Commander and Jack are the only other people who will be riding with us. Of course, they will stay with the ship when we land. Normally this ships is built to house bigger crews, so normally rooms would need to be shared, but since there's only twelve of us minus Commander Abraham and Jack, there should be a room for each person. Now, shall we head out?"

Abe without hesitation went up to the ship's wheel house and got to work. He pulled a few levers and pressed a few buttons, and as he did, the propellors began to spin much faster than they were before. Now, instead of just keeping the ship hovoring in one place, they roared to life and took the ship higher in the air. He pulled another lever, and as he did the back propellers began to push the ship forward through the air. The Commander took the wheel and steered the ship towards Amaratsu.

~~~

One Day Later
Somewhere over the Lucana Tundra

Traveling via airship was extremely conveinent as Richter quickly found out, as it only took them one day to reach the Tundra. A shame airships were hard to manufacture and run, otherwise everyone would be using them over normal ships by this point. It was mid Spring at this time, so the Tundra was still frozen over, at least for the most part. The blizzards had stopped over a month ago and the first signs of melting were beginning to show, but at this point it was still covered in snow, and still frigid cold.

They were at about the part of the map where Richter was told the Geologist's campsite was, but he couldn't spot it. The Lucana Tundra was a fairly flat area, so it was a surprise that it'd be hard to find. Richter began to wonder if maybe he got the coordinated wrong...

But then up ahead something caught his eye. It was a group of hills. In most places, a couple hills wasn't anything special. But for a place as flat as the Lucana Tundra, it stood out. Sure enough, as the ship got close enough to be able to see what on the other side of the first hill Richter spotted, he could see what looked like a few tents clustered together.

Richter shouted out, "We found the camp! Everyone grab your gear and prepare to move out as we land!"

(OoC: Sorry if this was too much or too little for you. Skipped straight to the camp, so we can get started right away.)

Cynthia boarded the ship along with Captain Redheart and followed him into a cabin. Inside there was an elderly man, who seemed like a Human, who was enjoying a book before putting it down after realizing the Captain arrived. "Yeh gather yer crew yet mate?" The old man asked, adjusting his pipe in his mouth as he spoke. Richter nodded and responded, "They're here, we can move out now." The man nodded and got out of his chair and followed Richter out onto the deck.

Out on the deck Richter explained that the old man, Commander Abraham Washington, was the pilot of the ship. Abraham then stepped up and stated that he was ready to go at anytime. It's almost time, thought Cynthia,We're going to finally set out for the Sacred Gem! Cynthia knew she was excited for the adventure that awaited her. She had trouble keeping her eagerness contained, almost letting out a squeal.

Thinking about what the discovery could be like, Cynthia's attention and mind began to trail off. She imagined discovering the gem and then wondered what she would do when they found it. Why am I exactly here? I saw that they needed volunteers and joined...but what am I going to do? Cynthia felt anxious. She didn't know what to do. When she came to, the captain was speaking,"... rooms would need to be shared, but since there's only twelve of us minus Commander Abraham and Jack, there should be a room for each person. Now, shall we head out?"

Rest. That was what Cynthia needed. She was exhausted from from the trip to Aradine and realized her body was getting heavy. A moment later the commander began steering the ship and it was airborne. The turbulence was enough to knock Cynthia down to her feet. Her skin slowly turned into a shade of red and she scurried off to a cabin. As she stepped into her room she took off her belt and threw it across the room. The hammer that was contained in the belt made a loud thump, and even left a dent on the floor. She crashed into the bed and slowly dozed off.

The Next DaySomewhere over the Lucana Tundra

Cynthia had a dream that night. She imagined she was with the crew looking for the Sacred Gem. They were then ambushed by a mysterious group of convicts and were slaughtered one by one in front of her. This disturbing dream promptly woke her up, and she let out a scream as she did. She looked at her palms and noticed how sweaty they were and how they were quivering. She let out a sigh of relief, happy that it was only a dream. She could hear the captain in the other room. He was shouting out, "We found the camp! Everyone grab your gear and prepare to move out as we land!"

Cynthia grabbed her belt, strapped it on, and made sure everything was in place. She also fixed herself in the dusty mirror that was against the wall. Staring at her face brought back a quick memory of her dream. She especially remembered her scared face, in anguish and disbelief as she let her comrades fall. She clenched her fists and the cracking and tightening of skin was audible. She made a silent promise to herself that she would do the best she could to help her team, if anything were to happen.

Feeling set to go, she grabbed her supplies and headed out the room. When she made it to where the captain was she couldn't help but ask a question that was bothering her. "Umm, Captain Redheart... What exactly are we going to do with the gem?"

Feli followed everyone else aboard the ship, her golden tail swishing slightly behind her as they headed for the innermost cabin. Inside was an old Human in a ship captain's uniform, who put down a book before getting up to greet them.

"Yeh gather yer crew yet mate?" He asked, to which the captain confirmed. As they were led out to the open deck, the captain introduced the older man as Commander Abraham Washington, the pilot of the ship. Feli leaned forward over the railings and allowed the breeze to blow through her long, golden hair for a moment before turning around and leaning her back instead as she listened in on the conversation between the captain and the commander, the latter of which insisted that he just simply be called "Abe", which made Feli grin. A possible manther, perhaps? This adventure was starting to go better than she expected. A flying ship? Feli liked it. Perhaps the "heads" was right after all.

Captain Redheart was starting to clarify things with the Earth Gaian named Harvey but stopped when he took notice of a younger Lighting Gaian male who looked to be about half Feli's age, not yet a teenager.

Ah, and this be me First Mate, Jack. He be a bit shy, but he's a good lad nonetheless. You can go on 'bout your business Jack, they aren't going to bit yer head off." Abe said, introducing the younger guy. Feli gave Jack a small wink before he turned away. First of all, a nice rapport. She thought to herself as Captain Redheart announced that everyone was going to sleep in their own rooms. Unknown to everyone, Feli's insides gave her a whoop, in a good way.

Good, that should prevent that nosy Cynthia from watching me in my sleep...I'm a part of this now, and I want to be trusted too.

The airship then started moving and everyone started getting back inside. Feli steadied herself on the railings before making a dash back into the ship's interior. Once she reached a row of cabins, she looked to where Cynthia had gone off to, before selecting a room as far away from the blonde half-Velox as possible.

"Man, that heads...nice." She murmured to herself as she got inside and locked the door behind her. Clutching the black gem on her necklace, she headed for the bathroom, stood in from of the mirror and concentrated for a bit. Within minutes, the shadowy indigo cast cleared from her eyes, exposing their emerald green color.

The Next Day
Somewhere over the Lucana Tundra

Feli listened intently with her wolf ears as she allowed the dark magic of the Black Gem of her necklace to turn her irises indigo once again. She picked up nothing that made her worry, at least so far. Taking her belt pack, she fastened it around her hips, before drawing out her Tarot deck and selecting a card from the middle. Just a simple draw for the day. She then flipped it over and smiled. The Sun, which was generally a positive card to begin with, unless of course, luck was on her period. Tucking it back into the deck, she placed the tack into her pack and closed it. She then fastened her half-cape over her right shoulder in its usual style. Her ears then picked up Captain Redheart's voice.

"We found the camp! Everyone grab your gear and prepare to move out as we land!"

Picking up her khopesh and making sure that she did not leave anything behind, Feli unlocked her door and exited her room. This was the start of it. She was not a bad person, and if she needed to prove that, perhaps this was her chance. She wasn't going to back out and run away from the mission, not at all.

~ Signature under Construction ~

| Lucian and Grimsley are mine. Touch and I will cut you. | That also applies to Houndoom. | Clock: Equal-To-Heaven |

I wasn't going to get very far within the Lucana Tundra without supplies. Not to mention without a guide. Trying to track someone in the snow wasn't difficult provided the snow didn't keep falling down, but with harsh winds, blizzard conditions, and freezing temperatures, it was suicide.

In the meantime, I had no intention of keeping this old horse past Azmaraxe. Driving him through the tundra would be murder on him, and I had no intention of doing that to an unaffiliated animal. He certainly wouldn't win any races at his age, so I figured I would simply let him free once I arrived at the city. After that, I'd find a guide and hopefully an alchemist who could sell me some potions to resist the cold or at least a tanner that had some good furs for sale. Both would probably be the most preferable.

I imagined scavengers out in the tundra would be few to none, although there was the possibility others were hunting down the Sacred Gem as well. Very likely, many of them were probably dying out there, thinking more about the Gem's worth than about preparing for the harsh weather and lack of foraging supplies. That, and out in the tundra, the situation could be the same as the sea. Nothing but the same sight as far as the eye could see, giving them a sense of hopelessness and feeling lost. I had some ways of using sense to determine where I was heading, such as using the stars, but I knew there had to be others out there that were better than I was. And getting their help simply meant handing over some gold.

There was no telling if or how the Lancer Grassland Bandits had prepared to head into the tundra. Sure, the Sacred Gem was worth a lot to some people, but nothing was ever worth dying for. And in the end, most would end up losing more than what they had started off with thanks to this pursuit. I was not going to make the same mistake. And whoever I hired for the journey was simply a hired hand. I had to make sure no guide would betray me once I got the Sacred Stone. I had seen tricks like that employed before. Guides leading their masters astray, killing them, stealing their belongings, and using their skills to simply head back on track.

Leo boarded the ship along with the others. He followed them into a cabin, where Captain Redheart introduced everyone to Commander Abraham Washington, who would be piloting the ship. The man pretty easy going in Leo's mind.

There was also a Young Half Lightning Gaian named Jack, who was the first mate. He seemed a bit shy. Leo smiled, and waved before he turned away.

Lirea, had a different reaction. She ran up to the boy. "You are just the cutest thing!" She exclaimed while pointing the business end of her trident in his face, which likely scared the poor kid to death. "The shy ones are always the most adorable. Name's Lirea by the way." She added with a wink.

Leo rubbed the back of his head, and pulled the Half Water Gaian away, as the mouse boy ran off. "Uh Lirea, your scaring him with that thing."

"Oh, my Trident? Why would he be? I wasn't gonna stab him with it or anything."

Leo simply shook his head.

Eventually, everyone headed off to there rooms to rest for the night.

---

The Next Day
Somewhere over the Lucana Tundra

"We found the camp! Everyone grab your gear and prepare to move out as we land!"

After a restless night for Leo, they had finally arrived. He was too excited about this, that he didn't get much sleep. That wasn't a problem though, he didn't really feel all that tired anyway. He didn't have any gear to grab, he was already wearing it.

Lirea had a restful night, though she was just as excited for this trip as Leo was. It was her first time being this far from home. She always had her trident on hand all the time. It was her prized possessesion, and there's no way she'd part with it.

As soon as Leo was off the ship, Leo started to shiver, and wrapped his arms around himself. "Brrr, I'm not really dressed for the cold!"

"Oh, don't be a wimp, man up!" Lirea exclaimed as she stepped off the ship. She looked completely unfazed by the cold, despite also not being dressed for it. She actually seemed to be enjoying the frozen tundra they had arrived in. "So, we're we headed Cap'n?"

"Does anyone have any magic to make it warmer or something?!" Leo asked.

Azmaraxe was the same as it was before. Busy, wild, hazy, convoluted. In getting my supplies, I did find a skinner and a tanner that sold me a decent fur coat and leggings that would shield me from the frigid weather. The cost wasn't an issue either. Competition among fur merchants in Azmaraxe was high, so there was plenty of merchandise to choose from and most of these sellers weren't going to be greedy with the markup. Most of these merchants were selling for people trying to make the trip to Arcanic, but I'm sure there were plenty of others trying to find what else was out there in the Lucana. What

The alchemist's lair was a different story. Walking in there always left me with an awkward feeling. The lab was filled with vials, bottles, regiments, and other strange items. However, I knew that if this seller had anything to resist the cold, I was going to need it. The blizzard winds and the stinging frost could be more of a threat than any bandit or highwayman out there. The furs would help, but there was that extra bit of protection that I needed. I wasn't going to take any chances in the Lucana.

"Come in, come in," The aged alchemist merchant urged me in a raspy voice. "What can I get for you, kind sir?"

He was a Psyclo, frail, ugly, and had those same pupil-less eyes that always creep me out. His silver-blue hair wasn't anything respectable either. He didn't know me either. I definitely wasn't "kind" and I hated the formality of "sir."

"I'm headin' into the Lucana," I told him straight up, not wanting to waste any more time here than I needed to. "I need some tonic to resist the cold."

"Tonics, eh?" He asked me while he stood up and searched around, confirming he heard me right. "Let's see... I believe I may have something that should assist you."

He sure took his time, much to my annoyance. I watched him move about the aisles of potions, vials, and jars and saw him remove a jar of light-blue colored liquid, held in with a cork stopper. On it was a label of "IDP," whatever that was supposed to mean. He handed it to me and I looked it over. Main issue was I was ignorant of potions and alchemy, so I had to trust the judgment and knowledge of this creep. As much as I hated doing things like this, it was either this or freeze to death. Or try to find some other bastard out there that knew potions. With bandits out trying to find that Sacred Gem, I didn't have the damn time to waste on something stupid like that.

"'Idp?'" I asked, reading the label. "What the hell...?"

"Oh, that's Psycloian for 'ice,'" He told me, smiling to himself as the fingers of his hands played with each other in a creepy, spidery way. "It's categorized with the rest of my 'warding' regiments. I keep them all on the same shelf, as you can see."

I looked back toward the shelf and really didn't see any kind of categorization between that and the other shelves, but I figured this guy knew his own store better than anyone else out there.

"Anythin' else that might help out there in the Lucana?" I asked him, thinking I'd be better off taking an extra bit of security in case one potion didn't work as well over the other or it wore off before I managed to finish the job.

"Well, let's see," He said, mumbling to himself as he started browsing through the shelves again. "No... I don't think this one... hmm... this... you don't seem like the kind that would want to try being a snowshoe hare, would you?"

"That pretty much kills the whole purpose of the trip," I told him bluntly, thinking that was pure idiocy.

He nodded, and headed back to the shelves. I looked at them myself, not really seeing anything that distinguished one from the other. It was times like this that I hated relying on other people.

"Eh... no..." He continued, browsing through the shelves, "No... that definitely not... but this... fire... should be good for generating warmth. 'Iniut'... yes, should allow you to stay warm through discharging fire."

He handed me the glass jar filled with reddish-orange liquid, which did feel a little warm to the touch. Wouldn't have surprised me if it was fire related.

"How much for both?" I asked him, seeing there was no price listed anywhere.

"Oh, hmm... let me see," He replied, turning back to his pile of books, flipping through them page by page. "Yes... let me... Idp... Iniut... ah... hold on, I think it's... yes, this should be it! That shall be 900 gold pieces for both, if you please."

I looked at the bottles again, wondering if this was worth even that. Still, that Sacred Gem was worth a lot to someone and I didn't have the time to mull over it.

"Fair enough, here," I told him, laying the money down on his gnarled, wooden counter.

He, like anyone else, was happy to take the money, seeming to admire the shine of the coins rather than their real, monetary value. Whatever, I had wasted enough time with that coot. I headed out the door and decided I needed to make up for lost time.

Now, I just needed to find a reasonable guide. Someone who could worry about their own hide if I ran into any mongrels along the way. And someone that wasn't going to stab me in the back, although I was confident that as long as I didn't let them leave my sight, that would never happen.

Kristoph looked and saw a man who looked like a ship captain walked up to them and introduced himself. His name was Commander Abraham Washington. A strangely familiar name to him. “Have I ever met someone whose name was Washington? Maybe…” While Kristoph was busy wondering if he met someone with the same name, the captain had just told the Earth Gaian something.

After that, Kristoph heard something. He readied his crossbow and saw a small child. He immediately lowered his weapon. "Ah, and this be me First Mate, Jack. He be a bit shy, but he's a good lad nonetheless." Abe said. Kristoph noticed that the child looked a bit scared. In fact, Jack reminded Kristoph of himself at his age. Shy, quiet, Jack was almost a copy of Kristoph.

Kristoph noticed that Captain Richter was going to say something. "The Commander and Jack are the only other people who will be riding with us. Of course, they will stay with the ship when we land. Normally this ships is built to house bigger crews, so normally rooms would need to be shared, but since there's only twelve of us minus Commander Abraham and Jack, there should be a room for each person.”

Kristoph was a bit happy with the news. He didn’t exactly trust anyone yet. Except for maybe the Captain. He seemed like a trustworthy one, considering he was a knight. “The rest still have to prove themselves…”

Kristoph walked into a hallway with a bunch of cabins. Just as he was going to take a cabin, the woman who had called herself a thief extraordinaire, Felicity, ran into the room before him and locked the door. “I guess she really wants that room…” He sighed. He decided to go to the room across from that one.

He locked the door behind him. He laid his crossbow and his sword next to the bed. Kristoph then sat down on the bed. “This has to be one of the strangest jobs I ever taken. A knight, a thief, a Gaian who had his arm augmented, a monk, a daughter of a baron, a psychic, a time mage, a water Elementalist, a berzerker and cleric and an arsonist who looked very strange. But, when I think of it, aren’t we all a bit strange?”
After thinking, he fell asleep. Still thinking of the group.

The Next Day
Somewhere over the Lucana Tundra

Kristoph woke up after a good night’s rest. His trust for the group grew a little, considering that he wasn’t dead yet. "We found the camp! Everyone grab your gear and prepare to move out as we land!" He heard the captain yell. Kristoph grabbed his sword and crossbow and went outside to the deck.

Out there, he saw a few of his fellow ’teammates’ as well. “What exactly are we going to do with the gem?” he heard the bezerker ask. “Her name is… Cynthia Viridian, it think. Though, she raises a good point. What are we going to do with the gem? Captain Redheart’s orders are probably to bring it back to the government. But what would they do… Hopefully, they’ll won’t do anything bad, but who knows…” Kristoph sighed and waited for the captain’s orders.

"We found the camp! Everyone grab your gear and prepare to move out as we land!" Harvey slowly climbed out of bed and checked his right arm to see if everything was in place. Harvey had trouble sleeping last night, thinking about what could be awaiting him; which on hindsight was a bad idea since now he was tired as all hell.

Harvey made his way to the deck of the ship to find Richter looking out off the side of the ship. The knight Cynthia was out on the deck as well, asking him a question. "Umm, Captain Redheart... What exactly are we going to do with the gem?"

Harvey had to admit, that was good question. Harvey of course was hoping it could be studied and used for research, but he didn't think of the fact that everyone else would probably have their own reasons for being on this mission.

Richter continued to look below while he responded. "We are to retreive it and bring it back to the Parliment. From there, we will decide what to do with it." On one hand Harvey was unsure about this. Hopefully Parliment would let him research it instead of just sticking it in a museum. On the other hand this was likely a safe measure, since no doubt some people were here solely for their own greedy purposes.

After a minute or two, everyone had gathered on deck and the ship had landed outside the campsite. As the team got off the deck onto the snow covered ground, Abe called out, "We'll go up into the air until yer all ready t'go! Good luck mates!" With that, Abe took the wheel again and rose the ship into the air. Harvey noticed that Jack was standing on the deck and was looking down at them as it rose up into the air.

It was fairly cold in the tundra, but Harvey was certainly used to it; after all, he came from Ramdyne. Richter walked forward a few steps and turned to face everyone. "We shall search the camp to find any clues as to the location of the gem; if it is here that is, and what happened to the geologists. Move out!"

Richter moved to the center of the campsite while Harvey entered one of the tents. He noticed that the tent was mainly intact and pretty much all the posessions were left as they were. No sign of conflict...

A journal? A small book stood on a small desk next to a sleeping bag. Harvey picked it up, opened it, and read it out loud.

"Day 1: Our search for Divine Gems begins. Amarastu has always been rich in Divine Gems, so our hope is that we can find some luck stumbling upon some here. At the same time, we can gather some data about the soil and mineral composition of the Lucana Tundra, which due its extreme cold hasn't been studied thoughly as of yet.

Still, the cold is already starting to bother me, and I have a thick coat of fur, thanks to me being a Lightning Gaian. I can't imagine how the other Geologists are, without a coat...they must feel so miserable.

Today we had corn beef and potatoes today. It was actually pretty nice; Mike is a pretty good cook."

Harvey skipped to towards the end of the journal, and something caught his eye.

"Day 127: Finally, we find something! Today we unearthed a cavern hidden within the hills. Odd thing about it though...it seemed as if the cavern wasn't natural. Like it was man made...perhaps it was an ancient mining shaft that had a cave-in? If so, that may mean there are gems here...unless of course they mined them all out, that is. That would suck for us.

Just hard tack for food today...again. I hope some food supplies come in soon..."

Harvey flipped to the next page, and kept reading.

"Day 128: I can't believe it...wow. We found...no, don't want him to be mad. Gah, I want to write all about it though! Still, I need to be careful. I just don't know what we're going to tell the Parliment when we get back. I mean, we can't tell anyone...or else.

Today...oh, who the hell cares what I had to eat today?"

Harvey flipped to the next page, but it was completely blank. "I better show Richter this..." Harvey thought to himself, taking the journal with him as he walked out the tent.

(OoC: Feel free to explore the camp and/or interact with other characters. The entireity of the camp should be fairly intact, but with no one around.)

I had hired a guide to take me through the Lucana Tundra, a Water Gaian of a walrus that went by the name of Acaman. He had very little to worry about when it came down to the colder climate. In the meantime, if he betrayed me, he'd make for an easy kill. In truth, I felt I could have guided myself through this tundra, as tracking through desert sands and tundra snow was generally the same situation. It was all a matter of keeping a keen eye and looking for anything that could have been out of place.

It had been snowing when we set off. Acaman was really only my backup, as so far, I could have easily done what he did during the first few miles by myself. But given the pillagers and bandits out here, better they see him as a nice, wide target before seeing me.

But in the meantime, it was freezing. I wasn't used to this kind of arctic climate, and while the furs were helpful, they didn't do as much as I'd like. Meanwhile, I had the old man's potions on me, but I didn't entirely trust them. The coot barely knew his hand from his foot, so it was a hard call whether I could trust his memory of his own merchandise or whether I should hope maybe his profession was his own passion left in his pathetic life and he actually knew what he was doing. But, I figured I could hold off a little longer, grit my teeth, and just bear it.

"Who or what are we really searching for?" Acaman asked in his deep voice.

"Anythin' out of place," I told him, searching alongside him. "An expedition team was here recently, they must have left something."

It was slightly difficult given that fresh snow was falling and covering up anything that might have been pushed, stepped on, or generally thrown aside to make way for someone or something that ordinarily shouldn't have been there.

After a few miles of walking, I quickly realized Acaman hadn't done this for a while. He was getting slow, wasn't watching anything very carefully, and generally had no idea what I was really looking for. He was getting tired and frustrated, and I had half a mind to abandon him. However, the issue here was hunting. I had enough rations for the next three days, but after that, I'd have to rely on survival skills and hunting. However, I simply couldn't have Acaman slowing me down for all those days.

"There," I told him, pointing to the distance. "See dat?"

I pointed to a clearing in the mountain side that would have made for very easy access through the hills. It definitely wasn't a common trail, but it had been used before by at least someone on foot. However, taking a closer look, I could see evidence of someone having used a sled or some other kind of vehicle.

"See what?" He asked, dimwitted as usual.

"Damn it, now ya'll know why I ain't payin' ya up front," I told him, tired of his idiocy. "Dat's a clear sign someone's been 'ere. Likely within in past five hours if I ain' mistaken."

"Huh, okay," He replied, scratching the side of his head. "Guess we'd better go check it out."

I let him lead the way. Better him get shot or stabbed first if there was an ambush somewhere up there. Another gush of wind blew around us, and I was feeling another sting of chilling wind. I gripped the fur coat a little tighter, trying to keep whatever body heat I had within the coat and the furs. Meanwhile, the snow was getting deep, and our movement through it was becoming sluggish. The effort it took to make for four steps now only made for one, so I knew it was going to become tiresome if this ended up becoming a full pursuit. However, whoever had been through here was only five hours ahead of us, and they at least had someone traveling on foot besides what may have been a winter convoy. They couldn't have been moving too much faster than we were.

"Come on, git," I told Acaman, feeling like I was leading him more than he was leading me. "We ain't got much time, we need to be after 'em."

"Ugh, I don't even know what we're chasing these people for..." Acaman griped.

I kept silent, knowing that was none of his business. If we came across the Sacred Gem, I didn't want him knowing a damn thing about it. However, unlike me, the freezing weather wasn't bothering him. He could be living out here and be just fine while I had to rely on this coat. However, I knew if I was out here for too long, frostbite was going to become a problem. At that point, I knew I'd rather drink down these potions than have to lose a limb. The last thing I wanted to become in life was a good for nothing cripple.

As we moved through the clearing, I kept my weapon ready. They were out here somewhere, and out here, there was no one to come for help once fighting broke out.

Cynthia listened attentively as Richter replied to her question. "We are to retreive it and bring it back to the Parliment. From there, we will decide what to do with it." She simply nodded in response.

I still wonder what would be done with the gem. If it's anything like the legends I've heard... it can't be put in the wrong hands. From the corner of her eye she spotted Felicity. Ah, it's her. Why don't I go talk to her a bit, get to know her. I bet she would love that. She walked towards Feli and tapped her shoulder. Being a little tougher than others, her seemingly small taps were more like jabs.

"Hey Felicja. Whoops! I mean Felicity." Hopefully this freaks her out, unlike last time... "I wanna know. Why are you here? Did you perhaps... runaway from something? You know, like, crime? Just asking... that's all."

Feli gave a puzzled look, and responded with a "Nie- I mean no.". Nie? That's not very Peninsula like. It's more... Southern Jadewing. Hah, I got her now, she's slipping!

Cynthia was now on alert, the girl's facade could be broken anytime now. "Silly question, right?" She let out an obviously fake laugh before continuing, "What's your family like?"

"One shorty brother, that's Joseph. Parents? Janus and Helena. Dad's also a shorty if you have to know. Why are you so interested in my history?" Cynthia let out another fake laugh and quickly answered, "Oh! No reason. I just want to know you, that's all. Can't we be friends?"

Hmm, Janus and Helena. Felicja's parents are Janusz and Halina. When I think about it... they're just simpler forms of Janusz and Halina! She could do much better than this petty lie, like her name. She also looks so much like her mother, and like her father a bit too. It's just the eyes throwing me off. Also, who is this Joseph? I never knew they had children in the first place, so this doesn't surprise me. I need more evidence, this doesn't feel like enough.

Acaman was just being useless. I kept my revolver out, and I forced him to lead. After all, that's what he was getting paid for. I sure wasn't here to drag his sorry behind through this frozen wasteland.

But in the meantime, the freezing temperatures were really beginning to not just hurt, but kill. Not even the heavy fur of this arctic clothing I was wearing was doing much. And my face was feeling it the worst. Without a doubt, I had the feeling no humans were ever really meant to travel through here. This was a place for only those that could handle the freezing cold. And it suddenly made sense why the Sacred Gems hadn't been recovered yet, or even why they had only recently been discovered. This place was a suicide death trap.

Ugh, dammit. This had better be worth it.

Nothing was worth death, however. As I covered my head with the hood to at least shield me from some of the cold, taking my chances with those potions was starting to look really appealing right now.

"NOW!"

And that was when Acaman was attacked. Not just stabbed or shot with an arrow, but I saw a fireball literally bigger than he was just crush him where he stood, smothering him in a scorching deluge of fire and flame. Embers were thrown in all directions, and I quickly backed away from the clearing and tried to pretend I simply didn't exist.

That's when some little prick snuck up from behind me and held a dagger to my neck. My guess was a Lightning Gaian of an arctic wolf, but I didn't get that good of a look at him before I shot him in the foot, which set it on fire. Jumping back from the pain, I then shot him twice in the chest, and he was suddenly being bathed in flames.

The raiders descended upon Acaman's flaming corpse like vultures, and I quickly noticed I was outnumbered. I took cover behind the rocks, acting as though Acaman was a lone traveler without anyone accompanying him. Thankfully, his lost and hopeless wandering implied that.

I waited there for several minutes, and thankfully, the blizzard conditions served me well when it came to not being noticed. However, I couldn't see the raiders very well either, and the snow was now in my face, making the chill even worse. I waited there for a few more minutes before creeping out, and seeing who was left. For a while, it was quiet, but it was then that I suddenly noticed some other people show up. These guys were dressed in black cloaks instead, and it seemed like the sudden flash of fire had drawn them to the fight. And shortly after, it was a battle between black-cloaked cultists and savage bandits. Surprisingly, it was the cultists that had the upper hand.

"You there..." One of them told me, realizing I wasn't part of the bandit clan. "Who might you be?"

"You first," I spat at him, wanting information before giving it.

"I can already deduce you're in this frozen wasteland because you've heard of the Sacred Gems," The shadowy, cloaked figure told me. "There is obviously no other reason for you to be out here."

Anyone could have figured that out. So what made these guys so special?

"So there's more than one," I realized, originally thinking there was only one gem.

"That's right," He told me. "Come with us, you're obviously skilled. You can see us use them for yourself. Or we can leave you out here to die, as you have no chance to survive in this sheer freezing wasteland of death. A simple choice."

It was one I wasn't keen on, but as I said before, nothing was worth death.

"Oh! No reason. I just want to know you, that's all. Can't we be friends?" Cynthia finished, forcing Feli to grit her teeth to herself. She started to shake her head, annoyed as Cynthia pried at her with questions, almost as if the older blonde was stalking her. How high was her bounty anyway? There were so many other criminals, and she wasn't exactly the best target either. Besides, the woman was looking for Felicja, with the green eyes. As far as Feli was concerned, she was Felicity with the blue eyes ever since the incident, and as long as she was wide awake. She wasn't going to give Cynthia the pleasure of finding out who exactly she was.

But then again, she knew that excessively angry behavior was very suspicious behavior. She was going to have to keep herself in check and her enemies close. As far as she was concerned, Cynthia would probably stop prying if she got bored enough. It was just another game of chance, and she was going to have to risk it. Arching an eyebrow at the older blonde, she took a pair of dice from inside of her pack and rolled it, dropping the cubes on the icy ground.

A five and a four. A nine.

"Fine, friends then, just don't...steal my stuff or something." She finished, muttering a "głupia" under her breath. As she was holding her khopesh on her left hand, she was forced to stick out her right hand for a handshake, which happened to be the one that was scarred in the scuffle back in Ramdyne. She only hoped that the Berzerker did not have such an acute sense of touch that she could feel the ridges of the scar underneath the black leather covering her hand, or that she even knew about the existence of the scar in the first place.

~ Signature under Construction ~

| Lucian and Grimsley are mine. Touch and I will cut you. | That also applies to Houndoom. | Clock: Equal-To-Heaven |